Lock fastener



Dec. 4, 1956 s. w. ESMOND LOCK FASTENER Filed Oct. 26, 1953 ATTORNEYS.

2,772,906 LOCK FASTENER' Stanley W. Esmond, Bulfalo, N. Y., assiguor to a Bell Aircraft Corporation, Wheatfield, N. Y,

Application October 26, 1953, Serial No. 388,117

2 Claims. (Cl. 292--212) This" invention relates to improved door and panel fasteners, andmore particularly to fasteners which are adapted to be fixed ,to a hinged orr'emovable door or panel or the like, and carried thereby so as to be operable to detachably secure the door or panel to a complementing frame structure. For example, the invention.

is particularly adapted for use in fastening aircraft in spection' or access doors or panels or theflike.

It i s a n objectof this invention to provide a strong, I

durable, improved fastener of simple design which is adapted to be carried by hinged or removable panel parts or the like, and operable for the purpose of deta'chably retaining the panels in' closed position over openings in wall structures or the like."

It isianother object .of thisinventionto provide an proved fastener as aforesaid which is operable in quick acting and'positive fashion, and which is self-locking.

It is a still further object of this'inventionto provide a fastener as aforesaid which is simple to install on a door or panel without special tools so that a minimum number of parts are required, thus making it especially suitable for mass production and resulting in relatively large savings of material.

Other objects and advantage's'of the invention will appear from the specification hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a framing structure having a hinged door equipped with fasteners embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the door and one of the fasteners shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken as along line III-III of Fig. 2, showing the fastener in panel locking position;

Fig. 4 is a disassembled perspective view of one of the elements of the fastener device;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the fastener device of Fig. 2 shown in locked position; and

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the fastener in unlocked or disengaged position.

Referring now specifically to the drawing, the invention is shown in conjunction with a pair of plate or skin structures 10-12 which are formed with different sized openings, so as to provide a ledge margined opening as indicated at 14. A panel or door 16 is hinged at one side thereof to the inside of the plate members as indicated at 17 and may be biased toward either open or closed position by a spring as indicated at 18 (Fig. 1). The door 16 is dimensioned to seat against the ledge portion 14 when in closed position, and in the case of aircraft construction for example the panel 16 is preferably of a thickness equal to the recessed thickness of the ledge, whereby an uninterrupted outer surface is provided.

As shown in the drawing, a pair of fastener devices of the invention as designated generally at 20-20 are fixed to the: door 16 inJspaced relation thereon, and each fastener comprises an anchor block member 22 which is permanently fixed to thedoor'as by means of a pair of fiat head rivets 2 4 24. A screw 26 is journalled through i a drilled opening in the door and in theanchor block: member, and a laterally elongatelocking bar 28 is mounted in rotatable engagement on thethreaded shank of the screw 26 next to the anchor block.

The anchor block 22 is formed with a of, and variously elevated lands. 32, 34 and 36 at the other three corners thereof. The lands 34-36 accom-q modate the countersunk rivet mounting holes 37,-38',

and the land 32 accommodates the aperture 40 in which the screw 26 is journalled (Fig. 4). The anchor block 22 is fixed to the door so that its innermost lands 32- 34 are vpositionally aligned in the direction of the locking barmember when the later is turned to engage under the edge 14 of the mounting frame structure (Figs. 3, 5). Thus, the lands 32, 36 are aligned with the direction of extension of the locking member when the latter is turned to open or released position.

The locking bar member 28 is provided with anintegral elastic nut portion 42 which is mounted in screwthreaded relation on the screw 26 and which is provided.

with a series of radially disposed slots 44. This nut por'- tion 42 is clinched .prior to assembly of (the device. to" cause it to elastically grip the screw 26 when in as sembledrelation therewith. (Thus, it will be apparent that turning of the, sc ew 26 tends to rotate the lock- -ing bar 28 within the limits defined by the shoulders 1 46-48 of the boss portion 30 of the anchor block to engage or disengage ,under the door frame, depending.

upon the direction of rotation of the screw, as between the position shown in Figs and 6.

.It .is a particular feature of einvention that inasa much 'as the land surface 36is at a greater elevation than the land surface 34, when the locking bar 28 is disposed in alignment with the lands 32 and 34 the side shoulder portion 49 of the land 36 lies alongside the locking bar and functions as a stop device to prevent rotation of the locking bar out of door holding position. This holding action will obtain as long as the screw 26 is threaded snugly into the locking bar so as to hold the bar 28 inwardly alongside the land 49.

Thus, it will be appreciated that whenever a door or detachable panel or the like which is equipped with a fastener device of the invention is moved into closing position against an aperture frame or the like, the slotted screwhead may be engaged by an ordinary screwdriver and the screw 26 rotated so as to turn the locking bar from the position shown in Fig. 6 into the position shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing. During this operation the elastic grip of the nut 42 on the screw 26 causes the bar to turn with the screw and one end portion of the locking bar is thereby rotated into position under the marginal edge of the opening framing structure as indicated at 12 in Fig. 5. The shoulder portion 46 of the boss 30 of the anchor block thereupon functions as a stop to prevent further rotation of the locking bar, and continued rotation of the screw 26 in the same direction then causes it to move axially and further inwardly of the locking bar so as to draw the latter snugly into bearing contact with the land 34 and the undersurface of the edge of the framing member 12.

This latter movement of the locking bar causes it to be settled into place alongside the shoulder 49 whereby the shoulder 49 is enabled to function as an automatic lock for holding the locking bar against rotation in any direction away from the door holding position thereof as shown in Fig. 5. Also, the pull of the screw 26 upon the Patented Dec. 4, a

s H s n outstanding I rectangular shapedboss portion 30 at one corner there-.

bar '28' causesthe latter toresiliently flex between its supports atitsopposite 'ends; so* as 'to' provide -a' tension lock effect. Thus, the device is self-locking without partieular attentionnby the operator. .To release the fastener device of 'the" invention from holding position, it'is simplyine'cessary tdagainngage the slottedhe'ad portion of the screw with" an ordinary screwdriver and to turn thelscrew ir'i the opposite direction: Initially: the" shbulderportion'i49f'holds the locking b'a'r against the drag [forces thereon due to the elast ic grip of. the' nut" portion 42 on the screw until'the-screw is rotated 'a' turn or two in the locking bar; This causes the locking bar to be lifted out of thejholding socket formed by' the shoulder'portion 49, whereupon thefrictional resistance against relative motion. between thescrew and the locking' 'ba'r' tli'en'. causes the locking bar to "rotate into the door-unlockedposition as. 'shown in Fig; 6- when the side wall'f48 of the boss '301'st0ps andholds the bar munlocked position. Thus; the'dvice is also automatically self-unlocking 'w'ithoutfiattention the operator.

Although only 'onespecificembodi'ment of the invention' has been des'cribedfand.shownbyjway of example herein, it willbe understood'that various changes may" be made. therein without departing-fromthe spirit of ture', and a screw journaledkhrough the 'door fand said I anchor block'and engaged in threaded relation with said" boss through'lsaid loekiiig bar member, whereby: turn ing er "said screw" rotates "said locking bar member within limits defined by sai-d anchor block shoulder'means' to alternately engage ,and disengage a portion of the door frame, saidanchor block. being provided with" stepped bearing lands adjacent jsaid' upstanding shoulder means thereof, saidscrew extending through" the lower of said lands and one end. of "saidjlockirig bar member said lands when said locking bar member is in door frame engaging position, whereby self-locking and selfunlocking of said locking bar member in door frame engaged position is facilitated and whereby continued turning of said screw after said locking bar member is in door frame engaging position will resiliently flex said locking bar memberbjetween its ends; 7

2. A door fastener device including an anchor block carried by a .doornear the edge thereof; said' anchor block being of generally rectangular form having a boss portion iini'onezcorner thereof and' az relatively'v'lowland in the substantially diametrically opposite corner thereof, substantially diametrically opposedintermediate and relatively high lands in the other corners of said anchor block, a screw extending through said door and through the relatively low land of said block in free rotating relation therein; an elongatedloe'king bar extending"laterally beyond opposite sides of'said screw'and carrying a central ly positioned elastio nut threaded upon said screw and clinched thereto to elastically gripth'e same and fr'ictionally'resist'rotationthereon, said anchor block and said. locking bar being arrangedfsothat turning said 'screw in one directionrot'ates said locking bar into a locking positionwith on'eiend'thereof bearing against said boss' and'continued turning of said screw in said 'one direction causes said one locking bar end to be .pulled againstrsaid' intermediate landfand the otlierend of said locking bar to be movediritoa position for bearing against a side of said relatively highland jupon turning {said screw in:

the opposite directiongwhereby upon turning said screw in the' oppositedirection. saidilocking bar movesout-v wardlyalongjsaid screw andthe'nisrotated to its unlockingposition withisaid other 1ocking;bar end bearing Arndt Jan. 6, 1920' MA... i. 

